


Blue Tiger

by neonstardust



Series: Forever Is All That I Need [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: College, Gen, Post-Canon, Roommates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-08
Updated: 2017-09-08
Packaged: 2018-12-25 06:38:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12030264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neonstardust/pseuds/neonstardust
Summary: I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father's protection.- Sigmund Freud





	Blue Tiger

“Today’s the big day, yeah?” Kuroo asks, a smirk tugging at his lips. “Nervous?” He shrugs out of his jacket, letting his school bag fall to the ground with a dull thud. 

Huddled into the couch, Kenma doesn’t look up from his PSP. “It’s just a date, Kuro.” He taps the screen a few times, and a song of victory pours from the speakers. 

Evening light filters in from the window and casts their small apartment in comfortable shadows. After kicking off his shoes by the door, Kuroo toes on a pair of kitten speckled slippers and flops onto the couch, ignoring Kenma’s annoyed grunt as he shifts to make room and relishing in the softness against his back. He needed this. Already he can feel his mind relaxing, migraine diminishing to a light buzz. Thoughts of his homework migrate to the back of his head, mingling with his upcoming exam concerns to schedule a new, more inconvenient time for his renewed anxiety to resurface. 

“But it’s your first date in…” Kuroo frowns. “Since graduation?” Vague memories of late night conversations over math books and coffee cups, of bad pick-up lines dismissed with scrunched noses and exasperated sighs, lift his lips into a fond smile. Kenma makes a noncommittal sound and mumbles something about an online relationship, but his shoulders tense. Quickly, he shoves his PSP in his pocket, but not before the sound of a game over issues a dismal tune. “You should change now,” Kuroo tries instead, reaching for a mug off the table. “Don’t want to rush.”

Kenma looks between him and his oversized sweatshirt, thoroughly affronted. Small fingers barely poke free from the sleeves, his thumbs stuck through ragged holes in the cuffs. Kenma tugs at a loose thread at the hem for a moment, and sighs, “Troublesome.” 

“You’ll thank me later.” Kenma’s glare perfectly conveys that no, he will not be thanking him anytime now or in the future, but he still crawls his way off the couch and disappears into his room. “Ah, youth.” Kuroo smoothers a smile behind his coffee mug. Steam tickles his nose, breathes warmth against his cold skin, as if it had only just been brewed before his arrival. 

A soft tap sounds against the door. 

“It’s open.” Kicking his feet up on the table, Kuroo watches Kenma’s date step inside. Dark eyes flit around the apartment in polite curiosity, taking in the kitchen and living room, sliding over photos and textbooks. At the end of the hall, Kenma’s door remains firmly shut. “He’ll be out in a sec’. Have a seat.” Kuroo gestures with his mug at the chair across from him. 

“You’re the mystery date, huh? Nice to meet you.” With great reluctance, Kuroo leaves the welcoming confines of the couch to sit up and offer a smile. “You’re in Kenma’s class, right? What major?”

“Sociology.” A guarded smile returns his own. “Figured I should learn some basic computer formulas for sampling. You?” 

“Chemistry.” Kuroo swirls the remains of his coffee. “There’s just something fascinating about compounds and cells. I mean, there are chemicals that don’t just kill a person.” He finishes his coffee and places the mug on the table with a soft clink. “They completely destroy the body, too. No evidence. Just like that.” He snaps his fingers. 

A flinch. “Oh. Right.” The voice is softer, confidence draining away. 

“I use ‘em in the lab all day.” Kuroo shrugs. Quickly, he casts another glance at Kenma’s door. “Not on real humans, of course. I wouldn’t do that.” Lacing his fingers together, Kuroo leans forward, arms braced against his knees. “Not without a reason, that is.”

Kuroo turns when the door creaks open. Kenma hovers behind it for a moment, shadowed by the poster of the Triforce, before stepping closer, his sweatshirt replaced with a nicer button up. Out of the corner of his jacket pocket, the edge of his PSP is just barely visible. 

“Great timing.” Kuroo smiles. He waits for Kenma to inch out of his hiding spot and greet his date before he stands up, stretching to his full height. Kenma shuffles out the front door first, grabbing a thicker jacket off the hook on his way out. As he shoves his arms through the sleeves, Kuroo crosses to the threshold, dropping his hand on his date’s shoulder. “Take care of him.” He feels the muscles beneath his hand tense. A soft gulp punctuates his words.

“Have fun.” Kuroo waves as they walk down the hall. Kenma shoots him a questioning glance over his shoulder, but Kuroo only smirks, hand twisting to give him a thumbs up. 

The door clicks shut softly. With another languid stretch, Kuroo makes his way back to the couch, stealing Kenma’s unfinished coffee. “A parent’s work is never done.”

**Author's Note:**

> I would never quote Freud if the words weren't appropriate for the situation.


End file.
